12 Week old Chick sick for over a month now... PLEASE HELP!!!

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
I don't know of any vets out here that treat chickens. Can I just treat him with Ivermectin or something?

Overmedicating can sometimes be worse for a chicken, especially a young one.
I would take a poop sample to a vet. They may not treat chickens, but they will test a fecal sample for you.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

So I think he's been sick roughly a month now, and has taken a turn for the worse. I still don't know what it is, here are his symptoms: Occasional sneezing, feet don't want to work (but it may be because he is weak), he has lost a lot of weight, pale comb, messy vent, but droppings look good. Now he has an occasional shiver. I doubt he will make it, although he is in good spirits, tries to walk around, still eating and drinking great, sun bathes, pecks at the ground and plants, etc...



I've emailed the state vet to see how much it is for them to come test, or to send him in after (if) he expires.



I'm at a total loss, his symptoms don't match anything I've read and he has been sick over a month now, and I've tried everything.

 

[immyjay54]

Okay, here we go again. lol
My birds were approx 6+weeks old. Rare Australian Light Sussex. About 4 days after being shipped in, they started wheezing, stretching necks to breath, sneezing, pale combs etc. The smallest had left eye swollen shut. I tried an antibiotic from Tractor Supply Store, this is what the breeder told me to try (Durvet Duramycin 10). Girl at tractor supply said give 1 1/2 tsp instead of 1 tsp since they were so bad. I used this for 3 - 5 days and nothing. I ordered Sulmet and Tylan 100 powder. the Sulmet didn't seem to help but when I put them on the Tylan it worked. I kept then on it for about a week and they are all fine. That was approx a month ago. They are outside now and doing just fine. The little pullet with the swollen eye was the worst and she did loose her eye. I think maybe she is the one that contacted this virus and she had it the worst. She is doing fine now also other then the eye being gone and she isn't growing very much. Below is the address of the page where I ordered mine.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/search.asp?camid=LIV&ss=Tylan 100&search-submit=GO

I also e-mailed Greenfire Farms who are the original importers of these birds back in 2007 and they told me that Tylan is the best there is for this problem. This was the first time that I had ever had this problem and thought that maybe it was something in these Sussex but I guess others can get it also. Not saying this will work for everyone but it cleared mine up and if I would have had it right away it may have even saved the smaller pullets eye. ?????????

I'm not on here a lot so if you post a question for me, you may not get an answer for a while. OH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the mixture that I used was supposed to be 1 tsp for 5 gallons of water. I use a 1 gallon fountain so I just guessed at what I put in. I'm guessing I probably used about 1/4 tsp per gal. Sprinkle it lightly in the water or it will clump up and then you have to stir a bit to get it to dissolve.
Good luck to you all.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Might be Mareks since he is having trouble with his legs. There is no cure. It is a viral cancer. You can treat the symptoms, and possibly nurse him through the worst. But relapses are common.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Update: He seems to be better but it's hard to say, he is still down on one leg, but he is very active and talkative, no discharge, eats and drinks a lot. Eyes look great. Poops look great. Still sneezes every once in a while, maybe a few times every 10 minutes or so. His comb is really starting to get it's color back, it's not pale at all anymore, but it is still smaller and paler than his brothers. He really hardly acts sick at all, but he is.

So to date here is what I have done: (besides spending hours on BYC trying to figure out what is wrong with him)... In order:


Observed him in yard with pale comb for 1 week, when I saw him slightly lethargic decided to bring him inside:
Sulmet for 1 week
Azithromycin for 4 days
Dewormed with Wazine 1 time
Tylan 50 for 1 week
Put outside in quarantine with heat lamp at night
Deloused with Sevin Dust 1 time
Dewormed/ deloused with Ivermectin 1 time


AND he has had

ACV
Probios
Vitamins

in his water the whole time.


I am still at a complete loss as to what is wrong with him. His symptoms don't really match anything I have read, and there are no other sick chickens on the property.

 

[Celtic Chick]

You could try giving him some drops of Poly-vis-ol from Enfamil (no iron formula) for a few (4 to 5) days. 1 drop for chicks, 2 for smaller hens, 3 for standard adults.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

*Update* Still the same, not getting better or worse.

 

[hokankai]

That's scary

I hear MS (myco) causes lameness, but Tylan should have helped and he would probably show more obvious respiratory symptoms.

 

[Erica]

If you want to save this bird, it really does seem time to take it to a vet. It seems none of the advice you've tried has worked. Tylan usually helps with CRD, but then again that may not work if it's something like chlamydiosis. CRD might be more likely but none of us could possibly be sure. He does seem to be going downhill slowly.

Personally I would be making a decision on this one... vet or humanely cull.

Erica

Edited: I only noticed afterward that you had tried Tylan — fixed my wording.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Spoke with three different vets last week and all of them were stumped.


My little buddy went to the lab yesterday. RIP little guy I will always love you.